Max is on the bacon train … and it’s not slowing down

A couple of weeks ago I was asked if I would care to host and moderate a "Shop Talk" session at Design West 2013, but there was one small problem...

A couple of weeks ago I was asked if I would care to host and moderate a "Shop Talk" session at the forthcoming Design West 2013 Conference and Exhibition.

These "Shop Talk" sessions are open to all attendees, and they provide a great forum for everyone to chat and share ideas. The title of the session in question is The Internet of Things: Boon or Bane of Society? As the official blurb states:

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a term used to describe nearly ubiquitous connectivity of distributed sensor networks and intelligent agents. Today's society is just beginning to see the deployment of these devices. But, why are we looking for such connectivity and what will it mean in our everyday lives? Will the IoT make life easier or will it usher in the creation of Big Brother or Skynet?

Now, this is a topic that is close to my heart, not the least that – like so many things – I can happily argue both sides of the fence. There was just one snag…

This session commences at 7:00am, which is a tad on the early side when you have a full day of "conferencing furiously" looming ahead of you. The person asking me to host the session did say (overly cheerfully, I thought) "Coffee will be served!"

Well, coffee is all well and good – and I certainly wouldn’t think of starting the day without it – but dragging me out of my warm and snuggly bed requires something more than coffee – something like bacon, perhaps?

So I raised this idea, and I was told that it may just be possible, but I was also informed that no one was going to make any promises, so I should keep my fingers crossed and they would see what they could do.

Of course I know as well as anyone that "it's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease," so I kept on slipping the topic of bacon into every Design West-related email that passed through my hands. At some stage I saw a copy of an email as it flitted between those who don the undergarments of authority and stride the corridors of power. One line in particular caught my eye – this little beauty read as follows:

Re the Internet of Things Shop Talk – Max is on the bacon train and it’s not slowing down – is there any chance we can provide bacon at his shop talk?

And then I received an email from one of the show's organizers saying "If it’s the last thing I do, I will get you bacon for the attendees of your shop talk!"

Well, just a few seconds ago as I pen these words, I received I message that brought a little tear to my eye and re-established my trust in the world. This message – which I plan on having framed for my office – says: "I have bacon CONFIRMED for your shop talk on Tuesday!"

Oh happy, happy day. What a wonderful world it is that has bacon on the menu. Now, since I have gone to all this trouble, if you are planning on attending Design West (and don;t forget that Your FREE Expo Pass is waiting for you!) I hope it's not asking too much to request your presence at my shop talk session where we will guzzle hot coffee, munch on delectable bacon, and regale each other with our thoughts and musings on the forthcoming Internet of Things.

If you found this article to be of interest, visit Programmable Logic Designline where – in addition to my Max's Cool Beans blogs – you will find the latest and greatest design, technology, product, and news articles with regard to programmable logic devices of every flavor and size (FPGAs, CPLDs, CSSPs, PSoCs...).

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Max "I don't fit into my XL Hawaiian shirts" wearing a propeller beanie and eating bacon. Who'd want to miss that. And Sylvie used to wonder why red-blooded American teenage girls would rather be tied up by vampires than pursue a career in engineering. What happened to Sylvie anyway? I used to like her blogs.